How Has This Retreat Made a Difference in My Life?

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I am more aware of who I am. I am more aware of the depth of God's love for me and for others. I have grown more patient, understanding, and loving of myself and others. I received many graces during this retreat but the one I am thinking of at the moment is the grace of acceptance in many areas and the grace of standing free before the many its in my life. I have also received the grace of knowing, loving, and serving God on a more intimate level.

I think it has made me more conscious of what Jesus has done and is doing for me.

The retreat has made a difference in that it has increased my longing for God, my trust in his personal action in my life, it has changed my image of God which filled me with fear and made me finally believe in his forgiveness and love for me....I am sixty two. This has taken a long time.It is a great grace to have come to this moment.

I have found many ways to apply what I have been taught and reminded of here. Particularly in the area of service to others. This retreat has taught me to humble myself in all areas of my life and to look to the source of all of the many blessings I have.

I felt the love and acceptance of the Lord to a greater degree and his call to follow Him by serving others, which I try to do in my life. Helped me know I am on the reght track. Felt a closeness to the Lord by putting myself in different situations, some of which surprised me.

They have been a powerful centering for my prayer life most especially through Lent Easter and the Easter season. It opened up a new world with an amazing look at my shadow and healing of anger of 25 years duration

There were many graces and positive differences made in my life during and thanks to the retreat. It has been a struggle for me at work but I am stronger from that "cross" and it made Lent more meaningful for me.

I feel much closer to Jesus and have often experienced striking synchronicities where things happened in my life that seemed linked to the theme for the week.

This retreat has been a wonderful expereince; I don't want it to end. When is the next one? There were so many graces for me; the one I think about most often is simply feeling closer to God.

It has given me a new perspective ..with respect to myself and also my feelings/actions toward others.

It gave me patience, being aware of those I do not want to love, kindness, wisdom.

A major grace was for my wife and I being able to accompany one another during the retreat. Another special grace was to recognise in a new way a sense of being called to be with Christ in his mission. I found this extremely profound, and this has stayed with me through the retreat. The retreat has been a graced time since, in the middle of it, my wife was diagnosed with oral cancer and has undergone major surgery and radiotherapy.

I feel more at peace.

I now have the certainty that Jesus loves me! and his love is so great that it is also transmitted through the love of my family and friends. I also know that no matter how far I have been from Him, he will be there by my side! This helped me to accept myself with my defects and virtues. I used to feel that I was not worthy or good enough for Him to notice me, how wrong I was! I know he loves me just the way I am and it helped to accept myself and to be sure that no matter what dificulties the life would bring He will be there with me. It also makes me feel more willing to follow him and do what He wants me to.

I really experienced greater joy in daily life and in my marriage. I am humbled by the unit on patterns of sin. I really undertstand holy scripture at a deeper level. This process has deepened by wobbly faith and opened my heart to a greater love of the Lord.

It made me more aware of the impact sin made in my life and what Jesus suffered to save me. It was the best experience I have ever had. I liked that it took so long so that each week could be absorbed. I especially liked the prayers to Jesus. It made it all so personal.

I needed the retreat as an anchor, and a guide to beginning my way back to prayer. I had not prayed in many years, and after I had a "road to Damascus" experience as a result of one of my pastor's sermons, I needed and relied upon the retreat as a way to get back into prayer, and I do like the spiritual exerises and think they are for everyone who is willing to put in the time. It is the "insider" esoteric language that I lost my way on. Like patterns of sin. Even this question is hard for me. I know that I receive graces from reception of the sacraments, and that there is actual grace and santifying grace. Through this retreat, I truly did for the first time concentrate on getting to know, love and serve Jesus, and I understand the answering of the call language. But I honestly don't know how to use the word grace as this question demands. Through this retreat, I was able to surrender my will to God's will.

Knowledge that I am a child of God and a sister to Christ moved from my head to my inner being. With this knowledge I am much quicker to forgive myself and others. I am more patient with my progress in personal and spiritual development. I find my response to the poor, the sick, and the annoying becoming more out of love for God than from a feeling of personal responsibility. I find myself just speaking to God durring the day - praising, loving, thanking, and seeking guidance. This retreat was just the right fit for my current life situation. I did have some time off from work to reflect more than usual, but remained busy with husband, child, extended family, and other commitments. This allowed me to integrate my prayer into everday life. Now that I'm back to work part time, I am able to practice everday spritiuality in the business at work too. I am thankful to have the daily reflections for a resource now.

The retreat has made a huge difference to my life. My concept of God, of myself in relationship to God and my confidence in His mission for me, have all changed a great deal. I have two folders - weeks 1-16 in one and 17-34 in another and these are a wonderful record of my spiritual journey over this last year and I plan to go back and re-read the material and what I have written in response, on a regular basis.

The graces were many, especially when shared with others in prayer meeting.

The biggest grace from this retreat was the awakening of my consciousness to my need for gratitude to God. I found gratitude a great disposition to have especially when struggling with faith. When I am grateful, I inherently acknowledge the presence of God, and enumerate to myself all the things that would not have happened without the Grace of God. And any faith struggles disappear.This retreat has definitely stretched my mind and my faith. It was indeed difficult at times; but I was aware that these difficult times were the growth opportunities for myself.

Being "comforted when afflicted" with the loss of a brother to cancer and other personal sorrows and difficulties and being "afflicted when comfortable" as necessary too . Encouragement as I prepare to make changes in my work.

I was surprised at how deeply this retreat has affected me - I didn't expect much because it was online, but it has touched me. I feel that I have gotten to know Jesus better through contemplation of his life as given through the Ignatian Exercies. The graces were that I could feel Jesus' presence at times.

I am more at peace and more open and confident with others. The graces were getting to know Jesus more intimatly. I am hungry to continue to deepen my relationship with Jesus. I also learn many things about myself and my resistance to following Him...

I shall never forget since they led me to understand how Jesus often led a life so much like that which confronts me. It showed me that perseverence was more importan than success in the spiritual life.

I became more conscious of God working in my life, His desire to have a relationship with me and His purpose for creating me. Beautiful!

Have come to know Jesus more as a person. Also came to know myself better, and see where I needed to change some things in my life. I found all the retreat materials a wonderful resource, had never used anything like that before and it was as though my mind and heart were being opened.

It has helped me grow spiritually and also has allowed me to try to live up to Christian ideals. It has helped me balance my life between work and church.

Whenever I rest during the day or wake up in the thoughts of what I read from the retreat guide come to my mind and I thank Jesus and ask him to help me in my search for increased awareness of his presence. It all carries over into my other devotions, such as meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and the daily reflections on the scripture of the day. I feel that the retrear has helped me to come a long way toward that intimacy.

Firstly, this retreat re-introduced me to the wonderful scripture readings as well as deepened my spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ. I am more sensitive and compassionate to the poor, the hungry and the oppressed.Most of all I am blessed that I have faith and have had an opportunity to have made this retreat.

The grace of being "attentive and available " granted me during this retreat, coming to fore in my reflections on Mary and the empty tomb on Easter morning, has left me in grateful, astounded joy. God's generosity is relentless. The grace of tears, of a comforted heart and a renewed spirit cannot be described in words; I only pray that humbly I can live out their fruits. The guides and helps brought me a general sense of awareness every week, but the practice of connecting a daily routine (such as brushing my teeth) in the morning and evening or during the day, to focus on the day's reflections, petition for grace and give thanks is what I pray I continue to do with diligence, for I feel that it is in this constancy that I shall find deeper intimacy with the Lord, 'sharpening' all my senses for His presence, His love, and for service in His mission.

I feel a closeness to Jesus and a desire to follow His way that I have never felt before in my life

It confirmed to me the love Jesus/God has for me. I always seem to fall short of what I think God wants for me and it was encouraging to be constantly told that God accepts me as I am, despite all my weaknesses that he already knows about. And He STILL loves me. I also became more aware of Mary's (mother of Jesus) story through this retreat.

I became acquainted with Jesus in His temptations. I found it comforting to realize that He understands my own temptations because He went through similar ones. I was especially drawn to Jesus as an adolescent, since adolescence is a difficult time. I also became better acquainted with Saint Joseph.

It gave me hope when times were tough. Several times I copied sections out to take home to continue to think about away from the computer.

It has given me the discipline to create a time for prayer every day and in everyday life. I have found immense joy by knowing that I have taken a small step on a path which I hope to follow all my life.

Experiencing the Ignatian Exercises has made a profund difference in trying to love self correctly and to love others more profundly

It has deepened my relationship with Jesus Christ.

Working with my life story and finding God there. Going through the passion and realizing Jesus' humanity and suffering. These studies helped me to know God's great love for me.

Most definately has made a great difference in deepening my relationship with Jesus. I received great peace in my acceptance of the love given by Jesus.

This retreat has made a diffence in my life. I really wish that it would never end and it really doesn't have to end, I just need to continue working with it. I think that the greatest grace that i have received from this retreat is that i have become more focused on the presence of god in my life.

The grace is more freedom in my relationship with Jesus. I came to realize that my very structured prayer life wasn't allowing much opportunity for spontaneous interaction with God and his working in my life. I am trying to be more conversational but staying with the habit of having certain times of the day that trigger me into prayer, being aware that I need to be careful to not approach this as a task to complete, but for it to be more like a phone call to keep in touch with Jesus.

There seems such a parallel to the events that are unfolding in my life. God seems to be showing me the way and my receptivity seems particularly acute. God's Graces! You are exactly right, my intimacy and trust in God seems all the stronger because of background times. Sometimes I feel I got more out of the retreat than I put into it. Life seems to too easily get in the way. Despite this, our Lord takes the opportunity to reach us. All seasons took on greater meaning. Advent, especially, was impacted very powerfully, thanks be to the Lord. With his blessings, I feel very enthusiastic about the mission that seems to be unfolding in my life.

I have become so much more aware of Jesus in my life, I converse with Him during the day, I am more aware of BVM and the angels. I feel so much at peace with myself since I have confessed the sins of my past life, and am more active in my parish.

I hope I will eventually realize that because of this retreat I am more spiritual

I have become evermore mindful of God's presence in everyday life. I also sense that I consciously perceive Jesus in the persons who cross my path. I feel a deep inner joy flooding my being since Easter. I pause now as I fit my feet into my slippers! The retreat guided me to be very faithful to morning meditation and to mini-contacts with God throughout my day. The prayer time gave renewed life to my intimacy with God and spurred me to seek out spiritual direction -- a practice I had put aside for several years.

It allowed the flow of hidden emotions through actual grace

It has helped me to take time each week to spend with God. It helped me through a dry time spiritually. God has given me the grace to accept me for who I am. He loves me unconditionally. He has given me the grace to accept others as they are. He has also given me the grace to be at peace with being where I'm at, even if I don't like it or understand it.


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